If I were an avid sports fan, it would be soccer (and baseball) and yesterday's World Cup win for Spain had me strangely giddy.  I took to the internet, searching webcams in Madrid's central plaza del Armas or whereever the party was going on in Spain, feeling all the way across the time zones, the joy in the air.  Finally, as the evening moved along, I did what always cures a bout of giddiness and I sat down at my beading table.  Having been so very, very lucky to have visited Southern Africa (Zimbabwe) in the early 90's, and including time spent on safari, I knew something of the colors and richness of Africa.  I began to design my celebration piece for Spain and winning in South Africa, fulfilling Nelson Mandela's dream of the World Cup in his beloved country.  And so it is, 'Viva Espana! Africa Dreaming...'

 

As a bit of a departure from my usual busy chaotic designs, this one is more simple and is a showcase piece.  Made almost entirely of top-flight artisan lampwork studio beads, you will find only a spare Swarovski or two in the splendor and some regal, faceted rich purple amethyst rondelles.  Otherwise, it is a design comprised of some of the most glorious design work in torched glass beadwork.

 

The 'pillow' shaped beads are by Catherine Steele.  She named them 'Colors of Africa' those many years ago when I was lucky enough to get my hands on some of them.  They are at once the stripes of zebra, gazelle; the mane of lion, the earth-colored textiles of the proud Masai Mara people, the turquoise shade of the Zambezi river, the thunderous falls of Victoria Falls and the dense, deep grass of the Okovango Delta.  Her work could not be any more brilliant.

 

Companions are 24K gold coated carmel tubular beads by another premier artist.  These are the deep spots of the leopard or the handsome pattern of the giraffe.  Other lampwork are golden, transparent rounds by Betty Hanssen, ringed in  silver.  And ice-cube-like encased teal organic square slices, looking like they are about to melt along with round slices or discs of carmel & gold, accented with Bali vermeil (24K gold over .999 sterling) daisy spacers and beads.  Esteemed furnace bead maker David Christensen lends the orange cubes along with lavender Swarovski faceted cubes.  An elegant vermeil toggle completes, 'Viva Espana! Africa Dreaming....'  one of the more elegant, spare pieces I have ever designed.  A piece to be worn to an gallery opening or with a couture black dress.  A piece to celebrate and to celebrate once more.  Being alive!

 

'Viva Espana! Africa Dreaming...' measures 8 inches and can be adjusted at no additional charge.

Sold out!  Thank you!

 

After having lived through a May of record-breaking rains in Northern California (welcome and quite needed), we are all finally looking to a warm, colorful summer.  The breezes of June with their cool nights and perfect mornings punctuate each day.  The garden just gets more and more abundant ~ starting with May cherries, June apricots and blackberries and just now some juicy, sweet strawberries.   As summer days unfold and we relax into less structured days and hours,  I am just starting to think of coming days early Fall and the vibrant colors that go with it, anticipating our change of seasons, however subtle.  As such, and as I continue to learn more about the Atlantic Seaboard and Nantucket, in particular, I learn of the myriad other seasons which accompany our normal 4 seasons.  One is known as, 'Indian Summer,' and while we have the same here in California, in October, I imagine the golden colors of the voluptuous cottage gardens by the sea.

I am a gardener at heart and would spend hours out of doors working the soil and tending to my plants and trees. If only I could! I relish the ability to go into my garden to pick my own bunch of roses for the house or to give as a gift. Needless to say, I adore working with rose themed lampwork, reminding me of the sparkling dew on the lush, fragrant roses in the early, early morning when I sneak out to take it all in; the beauty and solitude before kids and dogs and cats send the day flying.  

 

'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning' is a design awash in sculptural lampwork beads by some of the most gifted, top-flight lampwork artists with whom I work.  There is a beautiful & happy 'garden' of glass art, perfectly rendered into flower and form.

The muse behind 'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning' are the exquisite lampwork beads by Melanie of her studio, Glass Valley. Her set of floral rounds is perhaps what I would consider Melanie's signature lampwork style. Perfectly rendered rosebuds, done in blended shades of orange & cream on a cream round bead.  I combined Melanie's work with a new artist's (new to me, but quite established) stunning and more abstract lampwork.  Her work is a boro lampwork glass bead style, done in thick, square, encased beads with a golden, amber almost irridescent  texture under thick glass. Smaller, encased apricot squares and discs accompany the larger focal set of beads.  Adding to the cornicopia of lampwork beads are two encased polka dot discs done with a bright orange core by lampwork artist Heather of her studio, Bead Intrigue.  A lovely, lone cream tulip lampwork bead by Heather Davis hangs as a focal charm to the design.  On each side of the cream tulip lampwork charm are French red roses by published clay artist, D. Jean Vainio.  Finally, three orange & yellow tulip lampwork beads by yet another published lampwork artist by the name of Serena Smith, complete this incredible collage of high quality lampwork sculptural beads.

 

Additional beads used to finish 'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning' include the following:.

 

* Swarvoski pearls capped in bright Hilltribe sterling beadcaps

* Tiny green lampwork spacers by yet another lampwork artist

* Sterling daisy spacers & beads

* A sterling silver Hilltribe dragonfly charm

A handcrafted sterling toggle using the old wax technique by metal artist, Cathy Dailey, completes 'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning,' which measures @  7.25" in length and can be re-sized at no additional charge.

 

'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning,' is a radiant, feminine design and yet it is also modern & edgy.  It is a bracelet meant to be worn as a showpiece with a simple cocktail dress or with jeans and a 'boyfriend'  styled shirt at the local Farmer's Market.  It is an every day, every woman's bracelet design and will be sure to add just that touch of style & glow to any fashion ensemble.

 

''Pura Vida!' is a festive, tropical celebration of color.  Colors of the Caribbean and of summertime and celebrating the spirit and life of the tropics.  When we were in Costa Rica a few years ago & exploring Tortuguero National Park, we explored the vast, cool waterways of the dark jungle, hidden so perfectly from the intense heat of midday.  During the evening, after our dinner overlooking the vast river, we walked on the sandy beach bordering the Caribbean, the place where the sea turtles lay their eggs in deep burrows and where the tiny sea turtles emerge months later and make the treacherous trek to the sea.  My bracelet design hopes to capture the whole experience ~ from the generous blossoms in the lodge garden and the jungle itself, to the beauty of the sea and its very alive marine environment.

 

The focal bead of 'Pura Vida!' is a masterpiece in glass-art.  It is like a painting of a tidepool, waves and rocky shoals.  It has amemones and glass portals, like rain on the surface and other bumpy texture suggesting shells and colorful reefs.  Companions to this focal are floral rounds by Melanie of GlassValley.  On a base of soft turquoise, she swirls rich, orange blossoms, vines and leaves.  Rich, teal encased square & round chunky discs add a watery depth - thick, clear glass over a teal core.   Punctuating the piece with some whimsy and fun are polka dot encased slices or discs in lime and mint green.  Stand-outs include two incredible sculptural hibiscus flowers in a light shade of lime.  Together with a bright sterling hibiscus charm and a tribal sea turtle from Thailand's Hilltribe people, make this a portrait of that time in the jungle beside the glorious sea in Costa Rica.

 

Other beads and stones include:

 

* Aquamarine faceted rondelles

* Sleeping Beauty Turquoise chips and Hilltribe sterling droplet beads

* Cubic Zirconia faceted teardrops in apricot

* Faceted Swiss blue quartz cubes

* Teal blue Chalcedony faceted briolettes

* Elegant, clear Brazilian green amethyst  briolettes

* Furnace beads by esteemed cane artists, D. Christensen and Penrose

* Orange & light blue lampwork spacers by yet another lampwork artist

* Swarovski beads in a variety of shapes & colors including faceted cubes

* Bali silver twisted rings, daisy spacers and Hilltribe beads

 

'Pura Vida!' is finished with a strong Bali silver toggle clasp and measures @ 8 inches in length. 'Pura Vida!' is Costa Rica's national 'statement' about themselves and living.  It literally means 'pure life,' but more loosely translated means, 'this is living!'  This bracelet has that Latin flare and joy of living in its playful, festive colors, reflective of both the jungle and the sea, so close to the soul of everyone lucky enough to live in or to travel to Costa Rica.

 

Still on my Nantucket design path, I once more marvelled at the borosilicate lentils by StoneyMarieDesigns which I have been saving for a very long time for a very special piece.  To me these are the lentils of a shifting tide; golden & green kelp and sand and shells moving together as the sea shifts upon the tideline.  Marie has used sterling silver to emboss the glasswork, making for a shimmering & bumpy texture in silver & bronze over elegant steel blue layers of glass. 

 

Focal companions to Marie's three boro beads are done by an uber-talented German lampwork artist.  I have used two of her focal oblong beads here, done in transparent aqua blue with  cream-colored sand and shells swirling with bumps and glass portals.  

 

Punctuating the ensemble of lampwork are some small rounds done by Betty Hanssen, an esteemed glass artist whose work is normally complex and elaborate (I am lucky to have a small stash of her work).  Just now, she is doing more simple glass work and their elegance is as lovely.  I have capped these sea-green rounds in Bali silver beadcaps.

 

Finally, a whole cornicopia of beautiful semi-precious stones & crystals completes this bracelet.  They include:

 

* Green Amethyst faceted heart briolettes

* Ice blue & green aquamarine rondelles & faceted teardrops

* Deep blue iolite rondelles, stacked with Hilltribe silver droplets

* Magnificent, shimmering Steel Blue/Teal faceted iolite nuggets (stone of the Vikings)

* Green amethyst faceted briolettes

* Aqua apatite nuggets

* Hydrothermal quartz faceted cubes

* Bali silver daisy spacers & twisted rope spacers

* Hilltribe sterling solid abstract shapes 

* Swarovski crystal in a variety of shapes, sizes & colors, including faceted cubes

 

Pulling the design together are three charms - the most handsome rowboat, a seahorse, that mystical creature and a large, commanding lobster.  This is a piece of the Altlantic Seaboard, of Maine and Nantucket, of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Sound.  Unlike my more nautical themed pieces, 'The Rowboat' is rather a piece celebrating the life of the sea and the always shifting colors of blue and green and aqua and turquoise on a lucky day.  It is a beachcomber's piece; a piece to comfort one on a dark winter's day or to enliven one on a day in the city or even a lone walk at the tideline at sunset.

 

'The Rowboat' is finished with a Bali silver toggle and measures @ 8 inches in length.  Resizing to fit is possible at no additional cost.

A gardener at heart, mind and soul...my muse for 'Daisy Mae' is entirely a small stretch of my garden devoted to strawberries, sweet peas, tomatoes (in 4 varieties) and squash...all surrounded by generous, big, white Shasta Daisies.  It is this patch of garden next to our young apple tree (in full, bountiful bloom just now), that inspired 'Daisy Mae.'

 

This design is another small departure from my usual design model.  A totally loaded 'luxe' piece, 'Daisy Mae' includes gorgeous sterling metal work by a fabulous artist who uses the old wax technique in making her metal art.  The daisy shaped toggle clasp and the matching daisy 'connector' at the bracelet's center are solid sterling, handcrafted original art and lend so much character to the piece along with the rouge peace sign charm.  It is around this whimsical sterling metal work that I designed the balance of 'Daisy Mae.'

 

As a luxe piece, 'Daisy Mae' brings together 5 various artists.  The feminine, soft blue & white lampwork round beads are done by Melanie Carey of her studio, Glass Valley; the Lazy Susan styled 3D lampwork daisies and white bumpy rounds are by Heather of BeadIntrigue.  Published clay artist, D. Jean Vainio creates the floppy white clay daisies, on of my favorites among her collection and the charming Swiss blue, white daisy lentils are by artist, Melanie Egan.  Bright yellow tulips are by Serena and add just that sparkle to the overall design.

 

Aside from the silverwork and lampwork, you will find the following other stones, beads & findings:

 

* Aquamarine faceted rondelles

* Light, transparent Green amethyst faceted briolettes

* Luminous white iolite, stone of the Vikings

* Sleeping Beauty Turqouise briolettes from the renowned mine of the same name

* Hydrothermal faceted blue cubes

* Green furnace beads by esteemed glass artist, D. Christensen

* Freshwater pearls capped in bright Bali silver

*Bali silver lentil beadcaps, twisted rings & daisy spacers

* Swarovski cubes, bicones, rondelles, a flower & large clear abstract shapes couched in sterling leaf bales

 

'Daisy Mae' is one of those happy, spring and summertime designs.  It is the sort of piece that makes a person smile, just looking at it and would be the 'go everywhere' bracelet for the upcoming season, whether at a ballgame or an evening out on the town, it is summertime chic and a piece of richly detailed wearable art!

 

'Daisy Mae' measures 8.5 inches in length.  Because of the sterling daisy connector at its center, 'Daisy Mae' cannot be resized without significantly losing some of the design and lampwork.  However, 8.5" is the most common 'average' length among my clients. 

Sold out!  Thank you!

 

This time, I am back to the East Coast's Atlantic winter seascape off of Nantucket, where cold, fierce winds move against the land & lighthouse in gales & howling moans.  I think of the icy water, polishing the day, polishing the sand and the beach glass for the summer people & their walks along the beach, in search of the ever elusive beachglass.  But mostly, I think of those lighthouses, alone , steeped in history, always on watch, always a nautical profile in the distance.

 

'Nantucket Lighthouse' is not named for any particular eastern seaboard lighthouse. Rather, it is named mostly for Nantucket, the sea-worn glass & shells on a winter beach, the classic Nantucket Lightship baskets and the keeper of the lighthouse, as represented by a sterling pair of binoculars, always at the ready when something looks amiss in the dark curls of water on the horizon. 

 

'Nantucket Lighthouse' uses the magnificent focal bead from this set by Gabriele Sarvayge, an esteemed glass artist from Germany.  Her beads often fetch $50 per bead as her work is gaining more and more recognition among artists.  The bead I use of Gabriele's is a sea bead with color of a teal sea, both transparent & milky, rising and falling against a beautiful dune.  She drew swirls of glass taupe colored sand, a raised seashell and dark bumps on the surface making, for a very complex, interesting & very beautiful bead, like a watercolor painting.

 

Lampwork companions to the focal beads are my all-time favorite sea-themed bead design by Catherine Steele.  These are some of her etched (meaning, like beach glass) seashell, sculptural beads.  Working with any of Catherine's sea-themed beads is like a stroll along the tideline.  I happen to know that she lives inland, far from the sea, and like I, craves the ocean all year round.   I have used two of her seashell beads here, all lampwork couched in sterling Bali twisted rings.  The final lampwork of the piece are by yet another German glass artist named Karen who calls herself, 'the bead fairy of Germany.' These are complex transparent-on-light teal & taupe, bumpy beads and work with the rest of the lampwork perfectly.  'Nantucket Lighthouse' is a stroll on a winter beach! 

 

The balance of my composition is awash in aquamarine stones, making this piece an especially high-end piece of glass jewelry art.  It was just one of those aquamarine nights, when way past midnight, I finally sat down to work, compose or 'write' in beads.  It is my favorite time of day when everything gets dreamy.

 

In any case, you will find all shapes and sizes and colors of Aquamarine stone -  moss colored rondelles, icy blue, sea-blue, sky-blue, Swiss Topaz blue.   Companions to these and the lampwork include:

 

* Silver colored roses by published clay artist, D. Jean Vainio

 

Other beads and stones inlcude:

* Baltic amber along with sterling droplets by the Hilltribe artisans

* Faceted pale blue Chalcedony briolettes

* Faceted Green Cubic Zirconia in teardrop shapes of AAA quality

* Gorgeous Chrysoprase nuggets in a turquoise shade

* Swarovski Crystal in a variety of shapes & sizes

* A gorgeous lighthouse charm

* A pair of sterling binoculars

* An anchor/ship's wheel sterling charm

* A Sterling woven basket for the Nantucket Lightship basket tradition

* A wee sterling sand-dollar charm

 

'Nantucket Lighthouse' is completed with a perfect Bali silver nautical rope toggle clasp and measures @ 9.5" in length and can be resized at no additional fees.  Should you require a size 7.5 or smaller & any beads have to be 'sacrificed,' I will create a pair of matching earrings of them for you at no charge.  I am confident this piece can be resized without compromising the overall design.

 

Anyway...I digress.  The other thing about Siena is the Duomo - the cathedral - which is made of perfect squares of black and white marble.  There are other medieval buildings in Siena also made in black and white squares like this - I thought it was a common medieval period of architecture in Italy, however in looking it up just now, I find out that black & white were the symbolic colors of Siena (Civic Coat of Arms) and derived from the black and white horses of the legendary city founders, Senius and Aschius.

 

But back to the Duomo.  As far as cathedrals go, the Duomo is mind-bending and earth-shattering in its beauty.  More beautiful still is that I stayed at a somewhat modest hotel called The Duomo which was situated in back of the cathedral.  On my small deck, high up, I had a perfect view of the Duomo and her black & white cubes and ancient, medieval architecture. More fantastic still is that Duomo now had a webcam attached to its roof!  Except that it is 'down' tonight! Darn.

 

So for days, I have been designing this black & white bracelet in my mind.  The focal set of beads are elegant clear glass lentils over a white core, splashed with black.  Bumps and a single scrolling line of white and faint blue curl around each bead in a modern, edgy effect.  These are the work of OCD Lampwork and artist Tracey Nelson.  I have also used the work of Heather from her studio called BeadIntrigue.  She is the artist behind the small white bumpy lampwork rounds and the clear-over-white core, polka dot slices, as well as the etched white with black polka dot rounds done in miniature. Adding to the artisan collection of studio beads are clay roses in black and white by published clay artist, D. Jean Vainio.

Rather hidden in this confusion of black and white are two superb white tulip lampwork beads by Serena of  the studio, SJDS Designs.

 

To complicate the black & white chaos even more, you will find the following additional beads:

* Elegant faceted black onyx briolettes

* Blue Fire Moonstone rondelles with daisy spacers

* Clear quartz rondelles & chunky briolettes

* Tiny freshwater rice shaped pearls

* Swarovski glass pearls capped in white sterling silver beadcaps from the Karen Hilltribe in Thailand

* Swarovski crystals in a variety of shapes, in the color of black and white

 

'Dreaming of Italy' is finished not with a sterling charm of the cathedral of which I have been speaking, but with a charm of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, another jewel of Tuscany.  Except for a sterling bunch of grapes (Tuscany is famous for its fine wines), I did not have many Italian-themed charms to use.  But the Leaning Tower will do since it, too, is dramatic enough and has that luminous flare of exuberant expression the Italians are known and loved for 'round the world.

 

'Dreaming of Italy' is completed with a square Bali silver toggle and measures 8.5 inches in length.  Resizing is possible at no additional fees.

Sold out!  Thank you!

 

 

This design is a small departure from my usual design model. I lucked upon some stunning sterling chain, large, oval loops done in thick, substantial, polished sterling. It sparked a design in me that was spare, elegant, clean, classic and chunky, of which I am doing a few different design versions. Bold, but stunning. The theme is hot pink moonstone with dramatic blue fire flash, white freshwater pearls & clear crystal & lolite and lots & lots of sterling silver. The blue fire of the moonstone is absolutely fetching and the crowded chunky gems make for a tour de force of a time piece.

We have all heard of 'Father Time," well this is "Butterfly Time," a purely whimsical, sassy, edgy design meant to shock, surprise and make you smile. But it is also a watch! A bracelet-watch, hence the theme of time. No one else will have one quite like it. And butterflies are in fashion - in fabrics and accessories are all the rage just now.

'Butterfly Time' is designed around the solid, abstract sterling silver beads of Thailand's Hilltribe artisans. Their silver is .999% pure, versus the normal .925 purity. These are abstract in shape and solid, pure sterling (but not heavy to wear). The sterling butterflies are also by these artists, as are the two waterwheel beads. Gorgeous step-cut, clear, clear crystal nuggets add depth and shimmer along with lustrous freshwater coin pearls which glimmer and glow. Luxe & luminous iolite teardrop faceted briolettes add some real glam to the design along with the pink heart briolettes in two shades. Small spots of Swarovski crystals punctuate the piece ever so subtly along with 2 Swarovski butterflies and two pink/white hand-torched lampwork beads by Florence trained glass artist, Glass Jungle (his work is very hard to find anymore, alas).

The watch-face is Geneva Quartz and comes with a spare battery. 'Butterfly Time' design is mod, original and glam all at once. You won't find another like it.

"Butterfly Time" measures a generous 8.5 inches in length for the draped look, however it can be resized at no additional charge to about 7.5 inches in length.